Digital Pick: British Reserves

Recently, the British Library announced its 19th Century Historical Collection app for the iPad, which features scanned copies of more than a thousand nineteenth-century books—all of which are in the public domain—and includes classic novels as well as works on philosophy, science, and history. Original maps and illustrations are highlighted, as are marginalia and inscriptions by the authors; users also can browse by subject and create reading lists, with books available for download for offline reading. The app is free for the time being; the British Library plans to offer sixty thousand titles—and a pricing plan—by the project’s end.

Sign up for the New Yorker Recommends newsletter and get expert recommendations every week from the worlds of film, literature, and music.